EARTHQUAKE

A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit Los Angeles, California Thursday around 1:45 p.m. The quake was felt across Los Angeles County, but so far no damage has been reported.

Residents in Central Virginia awoke to a 3.4 magnitude aftershock on Thursday morning at 5:09 a.m. that was centered 4 miles southeast of Mineral, Virginia - the same location as last Tuesday's 5.8 earthquake.

As if the damage to the Washington Monument from the hurricane wasn't enough, Hurricane Irene left behind water puddled inside the iconic structure's interior.

The Canadian economy shrank in the second quarter, its first quarterly fall since the 2008-09 recession, with temporary factors such as Japan's earthquake and tsunami playing a big role, Statistics Canada said on Wednesday.

Here are Indicators that the morale of the American consumer is at its lowest in years.

Scientists at the Tokyo Earthquake Research Institute discovered that the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan in March changed the contact between the tectonic plates under the capital city, drastically increasing the chance that a quake could hit Tokyo in the near future.

Nuclear energy could find a second life on the moon and Mars.

The English language Chinese daily Global Times newspaper described Noda as a “hawk.”

Maria Sharapova survived an early scare at the U.S. Open Monday after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova had been knocked out of the year's final grand slam, which began on time and in perfect conditions after a week of wild weather in New York.

Washington's never-ending budget battle threatened to snarl the recovery from Hurricane Irene as a top Republican said on Monday that any federal aid will have to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.

Michele Bachmann claims she was speaking in jest when she said that Hurricane Irene and last week's earthquake in Virginia were signs from God that the United States needed to cut spending. But it seems more indicative of a clever tactic: making an outlandish statement and disavowing it once it has achieved its purpose.

A list of the notable gaffes made by Republican presidential candidates during the presidential campaign.

There's an axiom that says, A crisis brings out the best and the worst in the human condition. And that was certainly the case with Hurricane Irene.

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said that she was just kidding when she said that Hurricane Irene and the earthquake that rocked the East Coast Tuesday was a message from God. The Minnesota congresswoman, who notoriously hates President Barack Obama, publicly announced that Hurricane Irene was the channel through which God wanted to tell politicians to pay attention to the debt and deficit crisis in the United States.

Claims by Michele Bachmann and Glenn Beck that last week's earthquake and hurricane were merely attempts by God to get our attention aren't funny. Nevertheless, Bachmann says her quote was only made in jest. Some of us aren't laughing, however.

President Barack Obama said Monday he is continuing to direct Hurricane Irene recovery and rebuilding efforts, as federal, state, and local officials assess damage in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, even as Northeast states like Vermont and New Jersey continue to get people out of harm's way of rising flood waters.

After finding out that I'd finally get my hands on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt -- but during the weekend of Hurricane Irene's assault on the East Coast -- major concerns filled my head.

Hurricane Irene and the earthquake that recently rumbled through Washington, D.C. were God's way of telling Washington to reduce spending, according to GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann.

A look at the presidential candidates and their stance on immigration.

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann told Florida voters on Sunday that Hurricane Irene and the recent earthquake were manifestations of God's desire to cut back government spending.

Hurricane Irene shut down the neon lights on Broadway, and substantially reduced commercial activity over the weekend -- including canceling thousands of flights, but the storm's economic damage will likely be far less than originally predicted. In particular, New Yorkers, for the most part, feel like they were spared.